Undwindling Love Prompts
by Bethy1416
Summary: Prompts/requests from Mentalistas! I had an insistent urge to write, but my muse is apparently on strike, so I decided to start this! Majority of fics will contain Jisbon and ratings may vary between fics.
1. Reunion

**_A/N: _**_Not completely happy with this, but I just needed to write! Loved the idea of Minelli finding out about Jane and Lisbon, and perhaps not being too keen on the idea of their relationship at first. Thanks to _SteeleSimz_ on Twitter for this prompt! Greatly appreciated!_

Lisbon sat at her desk in the bullpen, quite literally twiddling her thumbs as they waited for a case to come in. The toe of her boots were pushing her to and fro, gently swivelling the chair from side to side. If living with Jane on a permanent basis these past several weeks had taught her anything, it was that she still had an element of her inner child that she needed to satisfy. She desperately wanted to shove herself away from the desk and power herself round and round until she got sick with dizziness. She was now having an internal go at Jane for what he'd brought out in her.

Suddenly her office phone rang and the few agents in the bullpen turned to her with hope of a new case, something that'd cure their boredom.

"Lisbon," she said, picking up.

"Lisbon! Or should I say Agent Jane?" A familiar voice said irritably down the phone. It took her a moment to figure out who the voice belonged to, but when she did she turned to the others and shook her head apologetically. They all turned away and continued with what they were doing to fill the time.

"Minelli?" She whispered forcefully, putting her back to the rest of the bullpen.

"Is it true?" He asked. "You and Jane?"

She sighed, and pressed her fingers to her temple. "Yes, it's true."

"And when were you thinking about telling me?"

"I have no way of contacting you! Anyway, how did you find out?"

"I have my ways… What're you doing this weekend?"

"I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon but nothing else. Why? You coming to town?"

"I've been meaning to visit the Grand Canyon long before my retirement began. What's the harm in going a little out of my way to check your mental health."

She laughed and shook her head. "A lot has changed since you left. My mental health is still in working order, thank you."

"Even so, it'd be nice to catch up. What's your cell number?"

She told him and they ended the conversation with a time and a place for their reunion.

A couple of hours later Cho sent them all home. The journey to the cabin was only ten minutes longer than it was to her house, although in the opposite direction. She drove down the narrow gravel road that led to their new, and gradually improving, reside. She saw the lights on in the cabin and headed in that direction after abandoning the car beside the Airstream. She went up the sloping steps and saw him packing away through the open door.

"Hello," she said, going in much as she had done the day he'd proposed… and most work days after that.

"Hi, how was work? Cho bossing everyone around?"

"I wish," she scoffed, thinking back on the endless hours of wasting time.

"Come on," he motioned to the door and switched off the light. They walked onto the veranda as he pulled the rickety door closed and took her hand as they continued their journey to the Airstream.

"Minelli called today," she stated.

He turned to her with a surprised expression plastered on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah… He wanted to know if it was true. Us. Getting married."

He raised his eyebrows and considered the possible scolding Lisbon had received. "The CBI grapevine has more connections than we thought then. How did he get hold of you? I thought we lost contact with him years ago?"

"We did. He must have found out that I worked at the FBI here and called reception. They put him through to my line."

"Are you meeting with him tomorrow?"

She grinned up at him and he gave a smug glance back. "Yeah, we're going to the coffee shop next door to the library before the doctor's appointment."

"Do I have the honour of being invited too?"

"He said you're welcome to join us if you wish."

"I can almost hear the dread in his voice as he said that," he chuckled, holding the Airstream door open for her.

"Oh come on, you had your differences but generally you both got along!"

She began slipping her jacket from her shoulders when he came behind her and paused her movements.

"Let's go out," he proposed.

"For dinner?"

"Sure."

She bowed her head and began nibbling on the inside of her cheek. "I don't know."

"Come on, Teresa… I won't force you, but I think we should. It'll make a change."

"Okay," she gave in. The last time she'd gone out for food had not ended too well. Her morning sickness wasn't too extreme, what it lacked in severity it made up for in unpredictability.

"You didn't embarrass me last time. In fact, it made me swell with pride that you heaved as the waiter put down my cheese board with crackers."

"It's not funny," she pouted and shoved his chest.

The next day Jane drove himself and Lisbon into the centre of the city. They were going to visit the doctor today for the first ultrasound, meaning Teresa had been on edge all morning. Tossing and turning all night. And either extremely quiet or extremely chatty. First stop was the coffee shop where Minelli had probably been waiting for the past ten minutes. The morning sickness, as unpredictable as it was, had gone on for longer than usual today, nerves probably aiding the illness.

"Did you want me to come in with you?" He asked as they pulled up outside.

"Give me fifteen minutes with him, calm before the storm some would say. I'll try and cool his anger. Go in the library or something."

"Okay, no problem. Work your magic, Agent Lisbon." He leant over and she pressed a kiss on his lips before hopping out the car. Her eyes immediately caught the gaze of Minelli, sat at a table beside the window. She sucked in her lips, that display of affection was not the foot she wanted to start off on. She waved and walked into the café, the stereotypical ring of a bell announcing her arrival. She went over to him as he stood up and they greeted with a hug. He'd aged; more engravings etched on his skin, shadows darker beneath his eyes and a sprinkling of fine hairs across the top of his head.

"Well look at you! Positively glowing!" He smiled, inspecting her at arms length. She blushed, not only because he'd noticed the radiance that, more often than not, was regarded with pregnancy, but also because a sudden wave of heat had flooded her. She perched on the edge of her chair as she shrugged off her jacket and stopped a waitress as she passed. She ordered a decaf coffee and another cappuccino for Minelli.

"Decaf huh? Since when did Agent Lisbon start drinking decaf coffee?"

"I have trouble sleeping, I'm trying to cut down on caffeine to see if that helps."

"I think you forget that I was once an officer of the law too. How about the truth?"

She paused, looking out the window, sighed and turned back to him.

"Okay…" She gave in, knowing there was no way out. "Well, I'm expecting."

"Congratulations!" He cheered, attracting more attention than she liked. "Is it Jane's?"

"What do you take me for?!" She exclaimed, a little offended but hardly blaming him if he knew the truth involving Marcus.

"I never thought I'd see the day. Teresa Lisbon settling down. And with her ex-consultant no less!"

"Hey, be easy on him," she said with a new element of seriousness in her tone. "He's coming in in a bit."

"He sent you in to extinguish the fire first, eh?"

"It was my idea. I told him to wait. What's your issue with him and I?"

"Nothing, Teresa."

"It sure sounds like you've got a beef against us."

"I just feel that you deserve better. He was never easy for you, nor anyone. But the warnings and threats always came down on you. He got you in a lot of trouble, more times than I can count on my fingers. He treated you badly, little respect for the rules and your job. He's a great crime solver, he'd make an excellent whodunit novelist. But he always played people, cheated the system."

"He's changed a lot since then, Virgil. He's found inner peace, moved on. He worked for the FBI, now he's on indefinite leave, building us a house. Renovating an old cabin, beside a lake, with brush and forest surrounding it. He held respect for his superior at the FBI, once learning he wasn't out to drag him down. I wouldn't say he morphed into a good man, I don't think Jane could ever be that. But he's learnt to care again. He fusses now."

"He _fusses_?" Virgil said, shock drowning his voice.

"It's possible for people to change. I know the Jane you knew was one obsessed with his own revenge, selfish, cheating, vain even. He was, I remember him like that. But honestly, Virgil, I trust him more than anyone else now."

"Okay… Okay, then I'm glad you're happy. You _are _happy?"

"I didn't think it was possible to feel this elated, even throughout morning sickness."

"He better be holding your hair and rubbing your back."

She grinned and nodded, "Even flushes the chain."

"When will he join us?"

"Within the next five to ten minutes."

His over protective state for her that he'd wrapped himself in meant he turned up a few minutes early, which she was glad for. He and Minelli shook hands, a reunion that was long overdue. Jane then dragged over a chair from another table and sat beside his wife, immediately placing his hand on her leg and squeezing her thigh discreetly. They small talked for a bit, bringing Minelli up to date with the lives of the CBI team. He was overjoyed to hear of the addition to the Rigsby family and glad that Grace had been given the opportunity to put her technical abilities to the test, a challenge that never arose during her time at the CBI. Lisbon then proudly announced that Cho had made it as a boss of his own team within the FBI. All of a sudden the attention was thrown onto Jane and Lisbon as Minelli brought up the topic of their unborn child.

"How far gone are you?" He asked with a smile.

"The end of my first trimester."

"Have you got a scan of this rascal yet?"

Jane grinned, "Not yet. We'll have one later today."

"That's the mysterious appointment that's racing us for time here, is it?"

Lisbon nodded and drained the last few mouthfuls of lukewarm coffee from her mug.

"Speaking of which," Jane began, "we're gonna have to make a move. It was nice catching up with you, Virgil."

They hugged and shook hands, scooped up jackets and left the coffee shop.

"You should swing by more often," Jane said as they stood on the sidewalk.

"I hardly swung by, it's surprising how stressful and tiring the journey is."

"Well, when the little one is here, we'd like for you to join us for the christening. And when we have things set in a routine, we'll make time to come up to California and visit. We'll stop off on our way to San Francisco and the Rigsbys.

"It's a plan!" Virgil agreed, the grin of a proud grandparent across his face. They bid farewell and went their separate ways.


	2. Desk Duty

_**A/N: **Not _exactly _what _2janesandababy _(on Twitter) requested, but this is my take on it. This is more 'why' Jane got Cho to give Lisbon desk duty, rather than 'how' he does. I hope you all still have a good read with this though!_

Lisbon slung her kevlar vest over her head and fastened the straps tightly around her slightly swollen stomach. Her pregnancy was still unknown to those on the team but the first trimester was gradually reaching an end and she knew she wouldn't be able to conceal it for much longer.

They all clambered into the SUVs and with each slam of a door she felt a stab of guilt. She'd told Jane that she'd talk with Cho about desk duty, that he'd be the first on the team to know of her news. But she hadn't. Jane hadn't persisted the subject any further so she didn't mention it either.

They reached the suspect's house and Cho forcefully knocked on the door. "FBI, open up!"

There was no answer so one of the assisting officers called Wylie back at the office. He assured us there was a cell signal coming from inside the house, and recently used.

Cho stepped back, gathered his strength and kicked the wooden door in. They entered, knees bent and guns poised. Lisbon headed straight through the kitchen to the back door when her cell started ringing. She picked it up to decline the call but then saw who it was trying to get hold of her. _Shit_. It was Jane. If she dialled off he'd know something was up, but if she left it ringing it could force her out of secretly rounding on the suspect… She threw the phone on the kitchen counter and went out the open back door. She scanned for any obvious signs of a person's presence but got nothing. She then pushed through the thick, waist high bushes, some brambles catching her jeans, and examined the area beyond the garden; Forest with overgrown long grasses, a scattering of dead and mouldy leaves across the mossy ground and trees intimidatingly towering above her. The silence of the forest was like nothing she'd heard before. There was no bird song, no flutter of crickets nor rustle of leaves. It seemed completely still. But then there came a flurry of gunshots, cracking in the air. She turned, her face translating her worry into an expression of panic. She frantically sprinted through the brush, her feet springing off the earthy forest floor. She twisted her body and glided through the bushes surrounding the back yard and cautiously rushed through the kitchen. The commotion was coming from a side room. She slowed her pace and stood in the threshold, casting her eyes upon the scene in front of her.

A cubbyhole's door was open and a pool of blood led from the entrance to a man's body, fallen in fury, strewn on the floor. His face matched that of the one in the case file. Agents had holstered their weapons and began procedure; phones out and securing the area, ignoring the corpse. The scent of iron and blood in the air cast her stomach into a frenzy and she quickly turned her back on the crime scene. She returned to the kitchen to retrieve her phone and get some fresh air to settle her unease.

She picked up her cell and saw two missed calls, both from Jane. She ought to phone him back, get the story straight and move on. She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the patio outside, the air cleaning her mind. She clicked the 'return call' button and anxiously pressed the cell to her ear.

"Ah, hello," he said, suspicious. "Where've you been?"

"I was in the bathroom, sorry."

"That's no problem, are you okay?"

"Just a little nauseas."

"Do you want to come home?"

"I'm not a kid in preschool, I'll be fine."

"Okay, just remember that is an option. Say you're sick."

"I know."

"It seems pretty quiet there, they all out?" He asked, noting the lack of ringing phones and voices in the background.

"Yeah, I went outside to get a bit of fresh air. See if it helps settle my stomach." She wasn't completely lying…

"Let me come and get you," he urged, disliking the sound of her being so uncomfortable in work.

"No, the day's nearly over. I'll be home soon."

"Well you're having tomorrow off. You need to rest and hopefully that'll mean you don't get this sickness throughout the day."

"Jane," she complained.

"No arguing, Teresa."

"Morning sickness happens. I may be an unfortunate one that gets it in the evening too. Either way, a day off work won't make much difference."

"But I miss you," he said and she could hear the pout in his voice.

"Don't pull that trick with me, it won't wor-"

There was an abrupt break in the silence around her and her shoulder jerked rearward as pain choked back the words in her throat and began coursing through her arm as she dropped to the floor. Her cell phone clattered to the floor and shouting came from behind her in the house. Men ran past her, toward the source of the disturbance and Cho came to kneel beside her. He easily hoisted her petite form to lean on his thighs and she let out a wail as he pressed his bunched up tie onto her shoulder.

"Lisbon," he forcefully said into her face. "Lisbon, listen. Come on, look at me."

Her vision became blotted with black and dashes of red. Her eyelids fluttering every few seconds.

"Talk to me then. Uh… What was your favourite dress? When we went shopping. What was your favourite?"

A smile tilted her lips ever so slightly. "Mine," she managed to mutter.

"Uh-huh? You looked great." He briefly glanced up from her for a moment. "Call an ambulance!" He yelled at those around him.

She just about made out an officer replying that one was on its way.

He growled, but turned his attention back to her. He was about to speak when she murmured to him. He bent closer, trying to hear. This movement shifted his weight on her shoulder and blood seeped from the wound. He acknowledged the liquid trickle through his fingers and positioned the tie, applying more pressure than before. She writhed as the pain shot to her toes and made her fingers go numb.

"Shhh shhh, it's okay, help's on the way. What did you say? Tell me again."

"Desk duty."

"What about it? If you want it because of this… Lisbon, you just have to get back on the horse. When you're better, you'll come back out into the field okay?"

"My baby."

Cho paused, not sure whether she was referring to Jane. "Y-you want Jane?" He questioned awkwardly.

She wanted to laugh, she did on the inside, but she couldn't. She looked down at her hand on her stomach, making him follow her gaze.

"You're pregnant?" He was shocked and worried, yet grateful that he could keep her talking. She slowly blinked, a tear already weaving down her cheek. "How far through are you?" He asked.

She sighed, her breathing becoming more shallow. "Nearly… three..." she tried to catch her breath and he cottoned on.

"Nearly three months? Does Jane know?"

"Mmm."

"Is he excited?"

She smiled, a yes.

"Are you excited?"

"Mmhmm, but… quite scared."

"You should be, I think that's normal."

Sirens pierced through the silence, as the gunshot had just minutes before.

"See," he continued. "Help is here. You'll be fine, Lisbon. And your baby."

"It's a secret," she whispered.

"You can trust me, my lips are sealed."

At that point two medics came rushing through the back door carrying a stretcher.

When rolling the gurney down the front path to the ambulance, Cho held Lisbon's hand. He'd already promised her he'd join her on the trip to the hospital.

Jane had panicked, more so than the time Teresa had been shot by O'Laughlin. There was a gunshot and then the line was cut. He'd tried calling her back but it went immediately to voicemail. Minutes of pacing later he got a call from Wiley and he knew then, it was bad.

"Wylie?" He asked when he picked up.

"I just got a call," he began. "Lisbon's been injured. I was told to call you…"

"Is she alright?! Where is she?!" He demanded, already climbing into the Airstream's driver's seat.

"She's on her way to hospital. She was shot by an unknown accomplice of the suspect they were taking 's all I know."

"Thanks, Wylie. Meet me in your car at the FBI in ten minutes. You're driving me."

"Oh okay…"

Jane ended the call and drove as fast as the Airstream would let him, consequentially, not as fast as he'd like. He abandoned the damn thing in the middle of the parking lot and ran to Wylie's car. He jumped into the passenger seat and told Jason to step on the gas.

"Thanks for the ride, your car is quicker than the Airstream."

"No problem," he replied, knowing that he'd had no choice. Besides, he was planning on going to the hospital.

They reached the hospital and Wylie dropped Jane off outside the entrance before finding a parking space. He rushed to the reception and inquired about his wife.

"She's gone into surgery, Sir. Are you family?"

"Yes, I'm her husband."

"We can allow you to wait in the family room?"

"She has some colleagues coming to visit her, may they join me?"

She hesitated, looked up at him and his fear-drowned eyes, then agreed.

Twenty minutes later Wylie and Cho had joined them. The two new members of the team had been told to hold the fort back at HQ.

When her surgery was finished she was wheeled into a separate room in her bed and was hooked up to monitors and machines. The surgeon visited Jane and the others in the family waiting room and informed them that she was lucky to have had Cho doing what he did. The bullet had shot through an artery, at a joint in her shoulder. If they'd not been able to repair the damage to the artery, she could have lost the use of her arm. The bullet had been removed successfully and she should fully recover. Jane thanked him and requested to see his wife. The surgeon allowed him, but informed Jane that she was still in and out of consciousness from the anesthetic and he was to let her rest. Wiley and Cho decided to stay where they were until she had woken up, giving the couple some space.

Jane sat on the worn padded chair at her bedside. He untucked a folded corner of the sling and straightened it out, making it neat. He caressed her hair and kissed her cheek. He was unsure whether his anger would come back out again when she awoke, after all she'd lied about talking with Cho in regards to desk duty. But right now all he could feel was the aftershock of the fear and pain he'd felt when he'd heard the crack of a gunshot and the line between them had going dead. He remembered it, too vividly, but yet again he had his wife to thank for taking him from bad memories in his head to the brilliance of his reality, as she stirred in her slumber. He scooted forward on his chair, his grip tightening around her hand resting on the mattress. He leant over and stroked her fingers that hung limply from the sling against her chest. He huffed out a slight chuckle at how she always managed to get herself into these situations. Be it her clumsiness getting her there or the loyal bullet of the enemy. It's the Lisbon he had grown to treasure, the part of her that made her Lisbon. And he was wanting her to run away with him, to leave behind the only thing that had stuck by her when he hadn't. He lifted her hand from the bed and pressed it to his lips and she squeezed his index finger. He looked up to see her slightly dimmed emeralds peek from beneath her lashes.

"Hello…" He whispered, dragging his chair as close as possible to her bed. A ghost of a smile crept across her features but was gone sooner than it had come.

"I'm sorry," she croaked, her voice raspy. "I-I'm sorry." A tear crawled down her cheek as she realised she'd messed up big time. She feared what he'd do.

"Hey, shhhh, let's not worry about that now," he soothed, stroking her locks. "Let's get you better."

"The baby-"

"_Is_ _fine_. You both just need some bed rest, plenty of fluids and substantial meals. Looks like you'll be taking that day off tomorrow after all, huh?"

"It's not funny," she sobbed. The hormones and adrenaline making her emotions run wild.

"Teresa, it's okay. You're okay, the baby is okay, and I'm okay. We'll be just fine."

"You're not okay," she sniffed.

He chuckled, "I am."

"No. You don't trust me. I betrayed you. I lied." He waited patiently for her to get her words out in between sobs and sharp intakes of breath.

"Let's not do this now, okay? You need to rest."

"No," she repeated. "We need to do this now." She shuffled to try and sit up but winced and collapsed back onto the pillow. He motioned for her to lean forward, which she did, and he supported her waist as she pushed herself up with her one arm. He puffed the pillows behind her back and she settled into them.

"Why do we have to do it now?" He asked, picking up the conversation.

"Because."

"Because?"

"Big elephants…"

"Can always understand small elephants, I get you," he grinned. Merely a taste of his own medicine. "Come on now, get some sleep."

"We need to sort this."

"There's nothing to sort. We're fine, more than fine," he leant in, cupping her cheek, and kissed her. She responded, sleepily.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"Teresa…" he crooned. "Do you want to know why I've forgiven you? Would that put your mind at rest?" She nodded. "I have forgiven you as you have forgiven me so many times. This was just a blip, a mistake. You won't do it again, I know that. That's more than I've ever given you after one of my galivants or stings. I don't hold anything against you. Of course I was mad when I realised you'd ignored my plea for your safety, but it's _you_. I know you've told Cho, and I know he'll put you on desk duty now. My anger is extinguished, my worry has subsided. You'll make a full recovery and our child is safe," he rested a hand gently against her stomach. "That's all I could ask for and more than I probably deserve."

She gave a soft, reassured smile as he tucked the blankets tight around her legs.

"I love you," she muttered as the action of the day rapidly caught up with her.

"And I, you. More than anything."

He kissed her forehead and stayed as she slipped into sleep then silently left the room to update Wylie and Cho. He'd make sure Cho did give Lisbon desk duty, no matter what the cost.


End file.
